Highlights
- Shifting away from the norm, “Silent Hill f” provides a fresh perspective outside the usual American setting, hinting at a world of possibilities for the franchise.
- Period piece settings, like 1960s rural Japan, can offer a unique exploration of cultural inspirations and open new doors for storytelling.
- With Konami’s revitalization efforts, the Silent Hill franchise may see more exciting changes soon, including diverse locations and narratives that break away from traditional urban environments and feel more unique.
Silent Hill is known widely as a classic survival horror franchise, a name that evokes a sense of nostalgia and fear in those familiar with the elements of the series. Famous for its horrific creature designs, rusty/foggy environments, and supernatural elements, Silent Hill is iconic in many ways. For those who are unfamiliar, it is also the name of the fictional town in which the games are set. Most games in the franchise take place in and around Silent Hill, though some occasionally deviate. However, the franchise has never before left the United States.
Other locations explored in the Silent Hill games released thus far are the towns of Ashfield and Shepard’s Glen, each with similar characteristics to Silent Hill. However, with Konami’s relaunch of the Silent Hill franchise outlined in the company’s live-stream event, the games are exploring new locations and gameplay styles. Among the various games, movies, and experimental experiences announced was Silent Hill f, one of the standout titles shown in the live stream. As the first mainline installment since 2012’s Silent Hill: Downpour, Silent Hill f sets a precedent for where the series may go in the future.
All Games Set In Silent Hill
- Silent Hill
- Silent Hill 2
- Silent Hill 3
- Silent Hill: Origins
- Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
- Silent Hill: Downpour
All Games NOT Set In Silent Hill
- Silent Hill 4: The Room
- Silent Hill: Homecoming
- Silent Hill f
8 Hardest Silent Hill Games, Ranked
The Silent Hill franchise is filled with challenging combat, puzzles, and difficult exploration segments. Yet, which is the hardest Silent Hill game?
What Silent Hill f’s Setting Means For The Series
Silent Hill Can Happen Anywhere
Traditionally, the creatures and supernatural environments of Silent Hill come from the deepest part of the protagonists’ psyche. In the first few games, the enemy types revolve around the player character’s fears, guilt, etc. The town of Silent Hill draws on these fears due to a curse that lingers throughout the area. Essentially, a cult attempted to resurrect their god on sacred land once cherished by native tribes for its mysterious power. Only the ritual went wrong, and the area’s power became corrupt.
Later installments took place in other American towns, but they were all generally pretty similar to the setting of Silent Hill. Silent Hill f takes the series outside the States for the first time, showing that the sinister evil in the franchise can exist elsewhere. This opens the door to a wide world of possibilities of where a Silent Hill game could be set, and what elements it could include. There could potentially be other games set in any other country or time, freeing the franchise from the typically rusty urban environments and allowing for greater variety.
Silent Hill Can Be A Period Piece
1960s rural Japan is a unique setting as far as mainstream survival horror games go, and it opens the door to a very different installment in an established franchise. Featuring historically inspired buildings, weapons, and items can add to the unpredictability of the experience. It also grants an opportunity for enemy types to be completely different from previous games, as the protagonist would likely have a different frame of reference based on cultural inspiration.
As the earliest game in the Silent Hill timeline, f opens up new possibilities for exploring the lore. There could be new explanations as to why these horrific events occur, possibly completely different from past games. But if 1960s Japan could appear in a mainline Silent Hill, the series could potentially go even further back in time in a future spin-off or main title. Maybe a Silent Hill set in feudal Japan could be interesting, or perhaps in the titular town during colonial times. There’s plenty of room for speculation at this point, but regardless of what the future holds, Konami seeking to breathe fresh air into the franchise is exciting to see.
Silent Hill
Silent Hill is a series of survival horror games best known for its original trilogy. The first three games stood out with how atmospheric they were, along with their engrossing storylines that were often told through symbolism and metaphors.Â
Silent Hill 2 is set to be remade by Bloober Team, a game that could reignite the franchise.Â
